The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1887-03-24
ORANGES AND ALLIGAT0RS.
Estelle Vehse Has Spell of the Raptures
at Jacksonville, Fla.

3stelle Vehse Has Spell of the Raptures
at Jacksonville, Fla.
Early in the morning the dense
white fog hanging low over the st.
Johns river and the city, the cars
steamed into the depot. Soon its..load
ofhuman freight, half aroused from
their slumbers, were pouring out
amidst the din and turmoil Of hack |
and bus men crying out the names
of the various hotels where people
are offered up as victims on the al
tar of greed and mammon. The
CITY is undulatiug, beautifully sit
uated on a curve of the river, and
numbers thirty thousand inhabi-
tants. Its streets are wide and
shaded with the orange, bay, mag
nolia, olive and water oak, from
which swing the ever present long
Spanish moss. The yards and
gardens, however, with their climb
ing vines fragrant with their wealth
of bloom, the immense roses OF every
shade, and the bright, green palms
relieve the gloom OF the moss. A
few of the streets are laid with the
wooden pavement and what a relief
to leave the deep, burdensome sand
when driving for their delightful
smoothness. The white sand is ev-
erywhere. In the cemetery the
graves are heaped and shaped in
sand, shaded by the oaks and long,
dreary moss. To the sensitive per-
son easily Influenced by surround
ings, there is something comfortless
and unhappy in the thought of be
ing laid to rest in the sandy
|gloom. Ut has the virtue, however
of not lnjuring the boots and cloth
ing as the dust we encounter in
Tenpess
The city has good church build
ings and many den ominations rep
resented with their pastors IN
charge. There are numerous
schools and well patronized. Bee
and pork are brought here from
Chicago, also milk and butter from
New York in refrigerating cars
Fine fish and oysters are to be hat
daily from Cedar Keys and the At
lantic. All kinds of native frui
and vegetables from the Baham:
islands, as wells as those of thi
J state, supply the tables daily. 4
this point of my letter lady friend
residing here aud very enthusiastic
over Florida says:
Tell them that we had straw Der
ries at the Orlando fair last weel
measuring eighteen inches"
"Will you please excuse met
am trying to stick to the truth, an
you will put it down to eigh
inches, I will think about it?'
Strawberries are indeed very fine
and we had enormous ones for dir
ner to-day; but saw not one meas
J uring the half of eight inches.
wonder if the tamiliarities of m
friend with the insincerities of fasf
4. ionable life has blurred her sense c
70 truthfulness IN little things. Their
70 are many beautiful homes and eie
CANT and substantial bushes
houses to be seen here, but th
sand and the labor QUESTION vexe
the souls patience. The negro
indolent. No reliance can be plat
ed in the race under these Italia
skies. You sometimes meet him i
full dress-a coffee sack with a hol
for his head and two for his arm
! feeding luxuriously on an orang
with box of camelias and a bah
''gater" tucked away under his arl
le to sell to tourists, from shiel be d,
r rives an incomes.
- THE ST. JOHNS RIVER.
l have watched its brown wa
tiers through the long pencile
/. shadows of sunset, bearing on il
sea-like bosom vessels of every de
scription; noted the graceful TIRE
less sea gulls with the tints Of I'll
rain bow on their wings, as they fiji
ted to and fro in the wake Of tt
vessels, diving to the surface ju
long enough to secure the little Sc
fish for the evening meal; the
away to the fast darkening, myater
. Gus shadows meking q bea1tif,
picture under the twilight skie
The river at this spolnt is eight
I feet deep, and at some places Fly
l miles wide. The sun rose brigl
and clear on the lob ult. and
large party of tourists, happy ar
ubilant, took the steamer Sylvest
10 visit ney world to Us. Oran:
= groves rose right and left upon OF
view with sheir dark emerald TO
iage teeming with their golden fru
and sweet white blossoms. Villa
uncovered in loneliness, rivals
beauty, lined its banks and peep
through the oranges, oaks, and loI
moss that sheltered them, 18th
y world forge ..;.@ and by the wor
\ forgot" Many villages too, bea'
! | tllui as d uIcdul, CdmCs OuC @te
another upon our vision as we stear
ed up the river. Among the mo
noted, Mandaine, the home of MI
Stowe; Queen Cove Springs, not
for the grandest spring in the stat
aud the home of lady now mo
happily married that once reign,
, as belle in Pulaski; Palat k
D Orange Park, finally disembarkil
at San Mateo to visit a grove
four thousand trees, interspers
:, with the lemon tree bearing
y bright yellow fruit and its swe
scented purple blossoms. The
= were neither ''bull-dogs nor she
guns to guard the golden fruit"
at other points. The propriet
mt led the way into the grove and b
- US help ourselves bountifull
How l wished for the little fol
b, in far away PulaskiD The tire
. appeared overburdened and t
Z ground was yellow with the fri
s falling from the many ebony-hu
z hands that were rapidly gatheri
g for boxing and shipping to the ca
g I have read of garden Of Eden
= the Euphrates, but l have seen o
n, on St, Johns river without it's fla